subject: Slush Time Is Here [print this page] Some of you might be familiar with the term aquaplaning. But, what about slush planing? Its winter again and soon all the snow starts to melt as the spring comes calling. With the rays of the sun, there inevitably comes also the slush which is the mixture of solid and liquid water. In other words, water-saturated snow.
Slush means danger and is a frequent situation during winter as the temperatures go up above zero Celsius. Slush planing is imminent because the tyre loses contact with the road and you can not steer the car anymore. According to a study by Tampere University of Technology , on slush the risk of fatal accidents is 4.9 times higher than on dry roads.
The Finnish road and driving experts from Hakka gives interesting and up to date tips what it means to drive safely through slush. Team Hakka is a Nokian Tyres way of increasing road safety for all of us using roads.
As the pioneer of slush tests Nokian Tyres has carried out slush planing tests for 15 years and owns as the one tyre manufacturer a unique proving ground for slush planing tests. Nokian's engineers have developed a patented testing method which is acknowledged by international tyre experts.
Recently even the venerable German car magazines have begun to include slush planning tests in their programs, when they test winter tyres.
Slush planing makes tyres lose contact with the ground with much lower speeds than aquaplaning: Already at speeds below 50 km/h tyres may lose contact with the ground on slush whereas aquaplaning typically occurs with speeds up from 80 km/h on standard test arrangements at Nokians tests track. Slush has a higher viscosity than water, therefore it is pastier, and can not be led off in the tyre tread channels as easily as water.
When your car hits the slush, you should slow down so youll have more reaction time if something happens and likely, if the cars turns or slips, it wont be that dramatic. You should make sure the windshields are scraped and clean and you should have your brakes checked before the winter season begins.
And last but not least, make sure you have quality winter tyres, which grip the surface of the road properly and tightly.
